Influence of Intraspecific Competition Stress on Soil Fungal Diversity and Composition in Relation to Tree Growth and Soil Fertility in Sub-Tropical Soils under Chinese Fir Monoculture

Abstract

Soil microorganisms provide valuable ecosystem services, such as nutrient cycling, soil remediation, and biotic and abiotic stress resistance. There is increasing interest in exploring total belowground biodiversity across ecological scales to understand better how different ecological aspects, such as stand density, soil properties, soil depth, and plant growth parameters, influence belowground communities. In various environments, microbial components of belowground communities, such as soil fungi, respond differently to soil features; however, little is known about their response to standing density and vertical soil profiles in a Chinese fir monoculture plantation. This research examined the assemblage of soil fungal communities in different density stands (high, intermediate, and low) and soil depth profiles (0–20 cm and 20–40 cm). This research also looked into the relationship between soil fungi and tree canopy characteristics (mean tilt angle of the leaf (MTA), leaf area index (LAI), and canopy openness index (DIFN)), and general growth parameters, such as diameter, height, and biomass. The results showed that low-density stand soil had higher fungal alpha diversity than intermediate- and high-density stand soils. Ascomycota, Basidiomycota, Mucromycota, and Mortierellomycota were the most common phyla of the soil fungal communities, in that order. Saitozyma, Penicillium, Umbelopsis, and Talaromyces were the most abundant fungal genera. Stand density composition was the dominant factor in changing fungal community structure compared to soil properties and soil depth profiles. The most significant soil elements in soil fungal community alterations were macronutrients. In addition, the canopy openness index and fungal community structure have a positive association in the low-density stand. Soil biota is a nutrient cycling driver that can promote better plant growth in forest ecosystems by supporting nutrient cycling. Hence, this research will be critical in understanding soil fungal dynamics, improving stand growth and productivity, and improving soil quality in intensively managed Chinese fir plantations.

Influence of organic manures on soil nutrient content, microbial population, yield and quality parameters of pomegranate (Punica granatum L.) cv. Bhagwa

“…The increase in microbial count may be attributed to readily available micronutrients and organic manures as sources of organic carbon for microbial population buildup. It may also be attributed to favourable excretions by root exudates like carbohydrates, amino acids, organic acids, and many growth promoting substances that act as food substrates for microbes [ 21 ]. Unlike FYM, vermicompost establishes a suitable environment for microbes and worms to flourish.…”

Coupling Effects of Nitrogen and Irrigation Levels on Growth Attributes, Nitrogen Use Efficiency, and Economics of Cotton

“…The lower amount of irrigation had the lowest LAI and dry matter accumulation because it failed to maintain the ideal soil moisture, which may have inhibited cell elongation, as well as limited photosynthesis and carbohydrate synthesis ( Dadgale et al, 2014 ). In addition, water is the key limiting factor that can regulate cell growth and metabolism, which ultimately affect the crop growth and development, possibly due to this lower irrigation (200 mm) resulted in lower LAI ( Farooq et al, 2022 ) and dry matter accumulation ( Farooq et al, 2021 ). The crop and relative growth rate increased with increasing quantity of dry matter because both of these parameters are highly dependent on crop dry matter.…”

Assessing the effect of application of organic manures and grapevine pruned biomass on Thompson Seedless

“…increase in water holding capacity, improved soil structure, reduced bulk density, improved drainage, decrease in soil pH, increase in bacterial and fungal population as well as enzymatic activities (Mills and Fey, 2003). Organic matter on decomposition release organic acids that aid in dissolving essential nutrients and ensure their adequate supply to plants as well as improve the stability of soil aggregates (Cass and McGrath, 2004;Farooq et al, 2021). Therefore, soil organic matter is considered as the key to soil health and quality.…”